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High-temperature superconductor (HTS) machine is a promising candidate for the electrical aircraft propulsion due to its great advantage in high power density. However, the HTS machine always suffers the problem of low thermal stability during quench. In this article, we apply a no-insulation (NI) coil technique on the rotor windings of HTS machines to enhance the stability and safety of the electrical aircraft. The NI HTS rotor windings experience ripple magnetic fields, which leads to induced eddy currents through turn-to-turn contacts. This induced current and accompanying losses will considerably affect the practicality of this technique. To study this issue, an equivalent circuit network model is developed, and it is validated by experiments. Then, analysis using this model shows that most of induced current flows in the outermost turns of the NI HTS coil because of skin effect, and lower turn-to-turn resistivity leads to higher transport current induced and more significant accumulation of turn-to-turn loss. A grading turn-to-turn resistivity is proposed to reduce the transport current induced and ac loss accumulation and meanwhile keep the high thermal stability of the NI HTS coil. Optimization of turn-to-turn resistivity is required when the NI HTS coil is applied in the machines' environments.

Chemical solution deposition is a promising technology to fabricate YBCO superconducting thin films due to its low-cost advantage. However, the decreasing of critical current density ( J c ) usually occurred in the fabrication of multi-layered YBCO films. In this study, Ag and Au heterogeneous interlayers were fabricated by using sputtering deposition in order to improve the bi-layered YBCO films, and the influence of crystallization temperature from 740 ∘C to 800 ∘C was investigated. It was found that J c could be enhanced by both interlayers relative to the counterparts without interlayers, and the effect of Ag interlayer was superior to that of Au interlayer. When the crystallization temperature was 800 ∘C, the optimal sample with Ag interlayer had a J c 3.65 MA/cm2, which was about twice of the J c of its counterpart. The surface morphologies and cross-sections were observed by using scanning electron microscope, and the content variations of c-axis oriented grains were measured by using Raman spectroscopy, which could help to investigate the influences of interlayers on the microstructure of YBCO films. The possible reasons for the improvement effects of Ag and Au interlayers were discussed based on the experimental results.

Porous graphene materials show outstanding performance in energy storage field due to their unique microstructure and properties. To construct 3D hierarchical porous graphene and combine with conductive polyaniline is an effective way to realize high energy density and good cycling stability. The interlamellar macroporous structure of 3D graphene was constructed by polystyrene (PS) microspheres and nickel foam as double templates. The mesoporous structure was etched in 3D macroporous graphene sheets by potassium hydroxide (KOH) chemical activation. And 3D hierarchical porous graphene (3D-hpGr) composited with polyaniline (PANI) by in situ chemical oxidative polymerization to obtain 3D-hpGr/PANI composites. The effect of the introduction of 3D-hpGr on microstructure, morphology and electrochemical performance of the composites was investigated. PANI nanowire arrays successfully decorate the surface of the 3D-hpGr sheets when the amount of 3D-hpGr reaches 40% (wt%). The specific capacitance of 3D-hpGr/PANI40 reaches 573 F g−1 at 0.5 A g−1, much higher than that of pure PANI (419 F g−1). The retention ratio of 3D-hpGr/PANI40 retains 84% of its initial specific capacitance after 1000 cycles at 1.0 A g−1, and the cycling stability of all composites is higher than that of pure PANI (69%). The potential drop of 3D-hpGr/PANI composites decreases from 0.339 V to 0.139 V, and the energy density increases consequently. The energy density of 3D-hpGr/PANI40 reaches 31.2 W h kg−1 at the power density of 0.709 kW kg−1.

Inductance is a very commonly used electrical parameter in transient progress analysis, as well as in energy storage evaluations. It was normally considered as constant when the geometrical configuration of a coil is determined. However, experiments on Bi-2223 (Bi 2 Sr 2 Ca 2 Cu 3 O 10+x ) and YBCO (YBa 2 Cu 4 O 7-x ) coils, both show 10% rise inductance while increasing the applied current. The inductance grows approximately a linear relationship from its minimum to maximum. We used both theoretical and experimental analysis to deeply understand the mechanism of the variation in terms of current distribution in high-temperature superconducting (HTS) coils. Taking this inductance change into account would benefit the accuracy in energy storage applications and in transient analysis occasions. Besides, inductance controllable devices could be achieved by manipulating the bias current applied on HTS coils.

Scanning Hall probe (SHP) system is a powerful instrument to investigate the planar distribution of areal critical current density (j c ) and defects of high temperature superconducting (HTS) thin film samples. The distance between the effective measuring position and probe bottom (h 1 ) is usually unknown for the commercialized Hall probes. However, h 1 value has a significant influence on the measurement results, according to the calculation of the magnetic flux density (B 0 ) above the planar center of a rectangular HTS thin film sample. In this paper, a method was proposed to obtain h 1 by using a series of copper strips and analyzing the relationship of B 0 against the parameters, such as sample width and current. Then, SHP system was employed to characterize the j c distribution of an HTS thin film fabricated via chemical solution deposition. The relationship of B 0 and h 1 could also be utilized to obtain the average j c value (j c B0 ). A series of commercialized coated conductor samples were measured with both SHP and the traditional four-probe method. The feasibility of preliminary evaluation for rectangular HTS thin film samples by using j c B0 was discussed based on its correlation with the results of four-probe method.

In this paper, the I c degradation of bent YBCO tapes has been experimentally studied. The I c characteristics in length direction was measured through a non-contact, continuous I c measurement equipment (Mcorder), which is suitable for all kinds of high temperature superconducting (HTS) tapes. The detailed J c mapping of bent tapes was investigated by a Hall microscopy equipment (Mcorder 2-D), which scans the fields distribution on the surface of the films or bulks. A 4.1-m-long YBCO tape was wound on a 4.5-mm-diameter core with YBCO face outside or inside. The critical current of the YBCO tape before and after winding was measured lengthwise. And the 2-D J c map of the samples of degraded sections was measured. The result shows that the smallest safe bending diameter is larger than 14 mm and smaller than 4.5 mm, for YBCO face outside and inside, respectively, which indicates that the YBCO face is recommended to be inside in bending cases. The relation between critical current of YBCO face outside bent tapes and diameters was fitted to a sigmoid-like function, to help further development where YBCO face outside bending is unavoidable.

Superconducting fault current limiters (SFCLs) are attracting increasing attention due to their potential for use in modern smart grids or micro grids. Thanks to the unique non-linear properties of high-temperature-superconducting (HTS) tapes, an SFCL is invisible to the grid with faster response compared to traditional fault current limiters. The quench recovery characteristic of an HTS tape is fundamental for the design of an SFCL. In this work, the quench recovery time of an HTS tape was measured for fault currents of different magnitudes and durations. A global heat transfer model was developed to describe the quench recovery characteristic and compared with experiments to validate its effectiveness. Based on the model, the influence of tape properties on the quench recovery time was discussed, and a safe margin for the impact energy was proposed.

Graphene-based composites took extensive attraction as electrodes for supercacitors these years. Three-dimensional cross-linking porous graphene (3D rGO-m) was obtained by KOH activation to graphene modified by 1,2,4-triaminobenzene. 3D porous graphene/ polyaniline hybrids (3D rGO-m/PANI) was prepared by the in-situ chemical oxidative polymerization. The rGO-m are reconstructed from 2D to 3D porous structure after KOH activation. The PANI nanorod arrays are successfully decorated on the surface of the 3D porous graphene sheets. The specific capacitance of the 3D rGO-m/PANI hybrids reach 985 F/g at 0.5 A/g. The capacitance retention of 3D rGO-m/PANI maintains 90% of its initial capacity after 1000 cycles, while rGO-m/PANI only keeps 83% of its initial capacity, the cycling stability of both hybrids are higher than that of pure PANI (69%).

Reducing heat leakage is crucial for the development of practical superconducting devices. In this work, orthogonal experimental design method is first used to optimize the design of hundred-ampere and kiloampere Peltier current leads (PCLs). Geometry and arrangement of Peltier materials and conductive materials of the current lead are analyzed. Through our simulation, we find that the coupling effect between the radius of Bi2Te3 (r2) and the length of Bi2Te3 (L2) has the greatest effect on the heat leakage of PCLs at the cold end for both PCLs. Furthermore, numerical simulations suggest that the lowest heat leakage at the cold end (approximately 30.0 W/kA) is at the same level for both hundred-ampere and kiloampere PCLs. If taking the heat dissipation area at the hot end into account, multiterminal solutions are better solutions for kiloampere current leads.

High-temperature superconducting (HTS) bulks can be magnetized to become powerful trapped field magnets (TFMs), which are promising for high-performance electrical applications. To magnetize such TFMs, pulsed field magnetization (PFM) is supposed to substitute field cooling (FC) to provide in situ magnetization. However, the heat generation during PFM, which reduces the trapped field, has always been an issue; thus, numerical simulation of the process is important to provide optimal magnetization strategies. In this paper, HTS bulks magnetized by PFM are simulated with an axisymmetric electromagnetic-thermal coupled model based on the H-formulation. Influences of important yet difficult-to-characterize parameters of HTS bulks, including n values in the E-J power law and B 0 in the Kim model, are investigated to show the influences of parameters on the modeling of HTS by PFM.

In transient operations or fault conditions, high-temperature superconducting (HTS) machines suffer ac losses, which have an influence on the thermal stability of superconducting windings. In this paper, a method to calculate ac losses and their thermal effect in HTS machines is presented. The method consists of three submodels that are coupled only in one direction. The magnetic field distribution is first solved in a machine model, assuming a uniform current distribution in HTS windings. The magnetic fields on the boundaries are then used as inputs for an ac loss model that has a homogeneous approximation and solves the H formulation. Afterward, the computed ac losses are considered as the heat source in a thermal model to study the temperature profile in HTS windings. The method proposed is able to evaluate ac losses and their thermal effect, thus providing a reference to design an HTS machine and its cooling system.

High temperature superconducting (HTS) stacks of coated conductors (CCs) can work as strong trapped field magnets (TFMs) and show potential in electrical applications. Pulsed field magnetization (PFM) is a practical method to magnetize such TFMs, but due to heat generation during the dynamic process, it cannot achieve a trapped field as high as field cooling can. In this work, we construct a 2D electromagnetic-thermal coupled model to simulate stacks of HTS CCs with realistic laminated structures magnetized by PFM. The model considers temperature and anisotropic magnetic field dependent Jc of HTS and other temperature dependent thermal and electrical material properties. Based on the model, a configuration of controlled magnetic density distribution coils is suggested to improve the trapped field compared to that obtained by ordinary solenoids.

Over the past few years, supercapacitors based on graphene/polyaniline (rGO/PANI) composites have gained immense attention. The electrochemical performance of rGO/PANI composites can be improved by controlling their morphology and structure. However, very few studies have been carried out on amine-functionalized graphene/polyaniline (F-rGO/PANI) composites. In this study, amine-functionalized graphene (F-rGO) and mesoporous graphene (PF-rGO) were composited with PANI. The results showed that the specific capacitance of the F-rGO/PANI composites could be improved by controlling their morphology. The mesoporous structure of F-rGO contributed to the improvement in the cycling stability and energy density of the composites. At a current density of 0.5 A g−1, the specific capacitances of F-rGO/PANI20–0.5h and PF-rGO/PANI are 597 F g−1 and 489 F g−1, respectively; these values are remarkably higher than that of pure PANI (400 F g−1). F-rGO/PANI20-0.5th and PF-rGO/PANI maintained specific capacitances of 75% and 89%, respectively, which were significantly higher than that of pure PANI; this was observed even after 2000 cycles of charge and discharge had been completed at a current density of 1 A g−1. The energy density of PF-rGO/PANI reaches 34.9 W h kg−1 at the power density of 1.27 kW kg−1. This study is expected to provide an effective basis for the future research of graphene-based composite electrode materials for supercapacitors.

The magnetic circuit (MC) method has been developed to measure the critical current (I c ) of long high temperature superconductor (HTS) tapes continuously since 2010. So far, with the apparatus based on the MC method, namely MCorder, industrial HTS tapes produced by main manufactures worldwide have been measured using the MC method, including Bi2223/Ag multifilament tapes and coated conductors with/without magnetic substrates. The high speed (360 m/h), high accuracy measurement (resolution 1 A) and its adaption to all kinds of HTS tapes make large quantity measurement and statistical evaluation of HTS tape possible. In this paper, criteria for I c assessment of long HTS tapes is discussed, based on which analysis of samples from different manufacturers worldwide is provided. The measurement result of a Bi2223/Ag tape by MC method is compared with section-by-section four-probe method, and the two methods show good agreement. Fourier analysis is given for analyzing I c periodicity of a tape with periodical artificial defects.

High temperature superconducting (HTS) bulks or stacks of coated conductors (CCs) can be magnetized to become trapped field magnets (TFMs). The magnetic fields of such TFMs can break the limitation of conventional magnets (

A new method based on the principle of magnetic circuits is proposed and realized for continuous Ic examination of HTS tapes. The greatest advantages of the new method are that it first eliminates all the noise caused by mechanical fluctuations, and thus makes high speed and high stability measurement possible, and second has a natural ability to measure HTS tape with a magnetic substrate. The principle of the method is introduced with the help of Finite Element Analysis. An apparatus for examination of kilometer long tapes has been constructed, by which continuous Ic examination for a YBa2Cu3O7-x tape with and without a magnetic substrate and a Bi2Si2Ca2Cu3Ox multi-filamentary tape is reported.

The critical current (I(c)) of high-temperature superconductor (HTS) tapes has to be examined not only for short samples, but also for the entire tape, because local weak points can possibly lead to the quenching of the whole HTS device. Some methods were reported for continuous I(c) measurement along the length of a HTS tape, but few of them were applicable to tapes with magnetic substrates represented by YBa2Cu3O(7-δ)(YBCO)-coated conductors based on Ni5W alloy substrate by rolling assisted bi-axially textured substrate process. We previously presented a contact-free method using magnetic circuits to measure I(c) continuously of long HTS tapes, namely the magnetic-circuit (MC) method. This method has been previously applied with high speed and resolution to measure I(c) of HTS tapes with non-magnetic substrates, due to its resistance to noise aroused by mechanical vibration. In this work, its ability to measure HTS tapes with magnetic substrates is demonstrated both theoretically and experimentally. A 100 m long commercial YBCO tape based on Ni5W alloy substrate was measured and regular I(c) fluctuations were discovered. The MC method can be a powerful tool for quality control of HTS tapes, especially for tapes with magnetic substrates.

A method based on the principle of the magnetic circuit is proposed and realized for contactless measurement of critical current (I(c)) of high temperature superconductor tapes. This method has two unique features: first, it eliminates noises caused by mechanical fluctuations and thus makes high speed and high stability measurement possible and second, adapts for both Bi(2)Si(2)Ca(2)Cu(3)O(x) (Bi2223) and YBa(2)Cu(3)O(7-x) (YBCO) tape, which even has a magnetic substrate. Theoretical analysis is given and an apparatus for the reel-to-reel measurement has been constructed, by which continuous inspection of I(c) uniformity of YBCO and Bi2223 tapes measured at different speeds is reported.

In this study, three armature structures for a fully HTS synchronous generators were proposed. The total ac loss of the straight segments of entire armature coils was studied. The ac loss was calculated in a 2-D infinite long model by using H-formulation considering Jc-B characteristics. The proposed armature windings can be simplified to a two-slot structure for ac loss calculation due to symmetry. AC transport current and the maximum and minimum external ac fields were applied to calculate the ac loss limits for one coil cross section in each model. The proportion of the cooling power for compensating the heat generated by ac loss in the output power under a 30-A peak transport current was estimated for the proposed three structures.